The Hampton Aces were a low-level minor league hockey team in the Tidewater region of Virginia. The club started out as the Jersey Aces in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the fall of 1978. Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt was one of the team’s financial backers. After the team flopped in the Philly suburbs, Schmidt and his partner abruptly moved the club to Virginia midway through the club’s debut season.

Prior to the club’s second season, the Northeastern Hockey League re-branded itself as the Eastern Hockey League. The league struggled to stay afloat with just six members. The Aces also struggled, finishing in last place in 1980 and again in 1981.